Surprise and More Surprises
by Sweetatoo
Summary: He learns something unexpected from her that demands a quick and equally unexpected response.


**A/N: Before I let you go, I'd like to say that I'm aware of my countless stories that need to be finished, but as of right now, I'm hit ****with a writer's block :/ So trying to force ideas to come will damage my stories and their quality. Therefore, I think it's best that I take a break from them for now (yeah I know I've been taking a break... a really long break...), so my sincerest apologies to my readers out there. One day, I will finish them, but I can't make any promises :( As of right now, I can only write one shots like this because these ideas come to me spontaneously and I just have to write them. So for now, only one shots. Once again, my apologies. However, I hope you'll enjoy this little story. Thank you for reading and reviews will be much appreciated!**

**I do not own Code Geass.**

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C.C. was munching on a bar of white chocolate while lying on the bed, propped up only by her elbows, and reading a fashion magazine. Her legs were dangling freely in the air and her long, silky lime hair spread unconditionally about her.

It was a beautiful Tuesday afternoon with the birds singing softly in the huge oak tree right outside the bedroom's window. There were hardly any clouds in the clear blue skies today, and the wind speed was average, occasionally rustling the tree's green leaves.

C.C. stopped in her reading for a second and looked up. As she was gazing out the window, a pair of white doves soared by; their wings spread wide and free as though they weren't afraid of anything holding them down.

A soft sigh escaped her lips before she returned to her magazine. She was flipping a page when he came in, and once again she was distracted from her task.

"What's that?" inquired C.C. curiously when her eyes fell upon a small white box with light pink ribbons wrapped around it.

Lelouch put said box on his desk without looking at her, then said curtly. "Just a little something for a friend."

C.C. knew that tone of voice so well to know that it was pointless to press him any further so she dropped the subject. Without uttering another word, she turned back to her business, leaving him to attend to his.

However, her curiosity demanded a clearer answer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him writing something on a piece of paper. He didn't even bother to sit so it must be urgent. His hand moved swiftly and he looked focused. Once, he stopped in his track, looked up at the oak tree outside his window, seeming to be lost in thought. Then, a few seconds passed before his eyes travelled downward toward the paper again and he resumed his writing task.

C.C. had to fight the urge to get up from the bed and creep toward him to spy over his shoulder. He didn't seem to be in such a good mood so she didn't want to risk getting snapped at. Knowing the guy, he would snap and lose his cool posture whenever his last nerve broke. Therefore, she stopped at that, and tried to focus on the magazine to no avail.

Suddenly, from out the hallway, a soft, lovely voice rang out. "Onii-sama?"

Lelouch's hand halted almost immediately, and he turned his head around to look toward the door. "What is it, Nunnally?" he called back.

"Can you come here for a second, please?"

"Be right there," he replied quickly. Then, putting the pen atop the paper to prevent it from flying elsewhere, he strode out the door. His footsteps could be heard descending down the staircase and gradually out of earshot.

Sometimes, C.C. felt almost equivalent to air. There, important and necessary but at the same time, no one really gave it much thought. Almost.

However, deep down inside, she was glad for the interruption because the curiosity had already gotten the best of her. Without wasting another second, she jumped down from the bed, walked swiftly yet gracefully toward the desk on which the note and pen laid, and peered at the words.

_Another year has passed, and we have been through so much._

_I'm glad to have a friend like you._

_Thank you for always being there._

_May you have a wonderful birthday,_

_ Lelouch._

Her lime eyebrows creased together as she unconsciously picked up the note and stared at it. Birthday, she thought. Whose birthday? She flipped the card, and to her disappointment, nothing was written on the back.

"Alright…" murmured C.C. "So someone's having a birthday some day soon. It can't be Nunnally's because he said 'friend,' so whose can it be?"

No sooner than she reasoned that that she let out a loud chuckle. Since when did she make it her business to indulge in that of other people? More importantly, this was Lelouch. If he knew she was snooping around, he would get so mad, and she had seen his temper first-hand before and didn't wish to encounter it again.

Yet, she had nothing better to do, and she was C.C. A shrewd witch who didn't give a damn as to what people think. That's how she'd survived for so long without feeling a need to attempt suicide whenever someone offended her.

Then, her golden orbs fell upon the white box with the pink ribbons, and curiosity bit at her, sending a gush of blood up her head, making her dizzy.

She knew that she had to take a look inside, regardless of the consequences, or she was going to go insane.

That was a really lame excuse, C.C. thought idly as she placed the note down and picked up the present. It had to be a birthday present for whomever it was he was writing the note to. She gave it a gentle shake and tried to listen to the movement inside. It sounded almost airy. There seemed to be something in it, but it was so light that any sound it made wasn't important to mention. Her eyebrows furrowed again as she shook it, a little bit harder this time. The sound wasn't as inaudible as it was the first time, and as C.C. was about to repeat her action, she felt a presence behind her.

A manly hand shot out from behind, over her shoulder, and grabbed the box, pulling it out of her grasp. C.C. let out a surprised gasp before spinning around to come face-to-face with the handsome raven-haired teen.

His usually bright violet orbs were now a shade darker. His brows slightly brushed together and his lips thinned and set, giving his normally innocent face a contrast look.

"What are you doing?" he asked grimly, trapping her between his outstretched arms that were resting on the edge of his desk. His eyes were on her, questioning and accusing. They were so close that she felt his cool breath on her face, yet she held her ground and his eyes.

"What's in it?" she demanded as if what she had done was totally out of goodwill and shouldn't be condemned as criminal.

Lelouch averted his gaze long enough to see what she was referring to before turning his attention back on her. "That's none of your business," he stated.

"Did you know?" she drawled as she picked up one long strand of hair and started playing with it. Her eyes never left his. "That today is my birthday?"

A pause.

A long pause.

Confusion quickly crossed Lelouch's face, and he cocked his head to one side with a highly raised eyebrow. "It is?" he asked incredulously, to which she nodded.

"Of course, I would never tell you this, but seeing that you're writing a birthday card to someone, I feel like I might as well just remind you," she said, smirking.

"Why?"

She twirled a lock around her finger. "Because we're accomplices, aren't we?" answered C.C.

"What kind of an answer is that?" Lelouch removed his arms and stepped back. His eyes glued to her face as if he were trying to study her, trying to detect any lie, but the mask that she had put on over the last decades couldn't be broken so easily.

"Why did you decide to tell me now, out of the blue like this?" The question was elaborated this time.

C.C. was still playing with a strand of hair as she replied monotonously, "Normally I wouldn't care. As a matter of fact, I've lived long enough to forget the date I was born if I'd wanted to. Yet," her eyes fell on the box in his hand, "seeing this and the note reminds me of the times I wish I were still human."

Lelouch's violet orbs followed her gaze, and a thought crossed his mind. And C.C. watched in astonishment as he unwrapped the ribbons, as well as the white paper to reveal a small, beautiful red velvet box. And to her amazement and surprise, he popped open the box, and what hit her eyes first were the gold sparkles.

"Happy Birthday, C.C.," he said softly as he removed a pair of small shiny golden earrings and tried to put them into her ears while silently praying that she had holes in them.

And she did.

When he stepped back, the sparkles from said earrings were encouraged by the soft glow of the afternoon sun via the glass window on an autumn day. C.C. was rendered speechless as her hand reached up and gingerly touched the earring dangling from her ear lobe. Her mouth hung open slightly and her wide eyes glued to his.

Lelouch heaved a small sigh as he dug his hands into his pockets. "It can't be helped, can it?" he said, chuckling. "After all, we _are_ accomplices. Besides, everyone deserves a happy birthday, regardless of what they've done."

What C.C. truly wanted to say didn't come out. What came out instead was, "Who was this for originally?" she blurted out, to which he shook his head, and she thought she caught a hint of a small smile cross his face as he answered. "That is none of your business, witch."

Then, he bent down to pick up the note on the desk, turned on his heels, and walked out the door, not waiting to hear more from her. Typical Lelouch.

Left alone in the room, C.C. stood still for a moment before making for the bed and flopping down on it with wide stretched arms. She gazed at the white ceiling with a faraway look in her eyes for a while, then whispered to no one in particular. "Silly boy, today isn't my birthday. How could I have remembered after all the decades of living and dying and repeating the cycle over and over? I was just curious as to what was in the box."

"But," she caressed the earrings again, "you're not made of steel like I'd thought, boy." A small, mysterious smile danced across her rosy lips as an idea came to her. "These must be for a girl friend. Milly? No, it has to be someone whom he holds dear. Shirley?"

C.C. closed her eyes and her smile widened a bit. "Ara, and here I thought there was definitely something between you two."

Guess not.


End file.
